Terrill Samuel birdied her final hole to finish with a one-under 71, extending her lead to four shots heading into the final round of the Canadian Women’s Senior Championship in Georgetown.
Samuel turned a three-shot deficit into a three-shot lead in the first six holes of Wednesday’s second round at The Club at North Halton, but still felt there was room for improvement.
“I played awesome today except for one really bad drive and my putting, nothing would go in, but I putted tentatively and that was my fault,” Samuel said. “I just didn’t have confidence for some reason today on some of them, I was leaving them just there. I had so many birdie putts today it was too bad.”
First-round leader Ellen Port struggled at the start of her round. After playing a bogey-free round Tuesday, she bogeyed five of her first six holes. Meanwhile, Samuel, who started on the 10th hole, recorded back-to-back birdies on No. 13 and 14.
Port overcame her slow start, playing just one-over the rest of the way, finishing with a 78 to share second place with fellow American Lara Tennant at 3-over for the tournament. Tennant, looking to win her third national title of the year, having already won the Scottish and Irish senior women’s championships, shot a 75.
Samuel shared the low round of the day with Australia’s Sue Wooster and Nevada’s Ruthie Maxwell. Wooster, a two-time Canadian champion, sits fourth at 4-over. Maxwell and British Columbia’s Shelly Stouffer, another two-time champion, are tied for fifth at 5-over.
Carolyn Janidlo and Suzanne Ricard share seventh at 7-over and a pair of Ontario Golf Hall of Famers, Mary-Ann Hayward and Judith Kyrinis, round out the top 10 at 9-over.
Samuel, looking for a third Canadian women's senior titile, has no plans to change anything heading into today’s final round.
“My mindset is just one shot at a time, and I know that’s a cliché, but whatever your game plan is on every hole you do that, and you continue to do that, you can’t worry about what anybody else is doing,” she said. “You just worry about taking care of your own business and hopefully you have a chance on 18.”
Samuel, Tennant and Port will tee off at 9:50 a.m., Wooster, Maxwell and Stouffer will start at 9:40 and Hayward, Janidlo and Ricard begin at 9:30 a.m.
Admission to the tournament is free.
British Columbia edged Ontario by two strokes to capture the Katherine Helleur Trophy. Stouffer, Jackie Little and Sandra Turbide combined to shoot 16-over in the first two rounds to win the team title for the second time in three years.